Tale of the Tape
Result Summary
In the lightweight co-main event, former PFL champion Gadzhi Rabadanov returned to dominant form against the dangerous Aleksandr Chizov. Rabadanov utilized his trademark wrestling to ground Chizov consistently throughout the three-round affair. While Chizov had a few brief moments on the feet, Rabadanov's heavy grappling and positional control dictated the pace and location of the fight. Rabadanov punctuated his performance with a massive, emphatic slam in the closing moments to put an exclamation point on his victory, securing a clear unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27).
Fight Overview
Gadzhi Rabadanov is one of the most feared finishers in PFL lightweight history — the Dagestani's 12-fight win streak included first-round KOs over UFC veterans Kevin Lee and Marc Diakiese and a finish of former Bellator champion Brent Primus — but that streak ended when he dropped a five-round unanimous decision to Alfie Davis in the 2025 PFL Lightweight Championship. Now needing a bounce-back statement to re-enter the playoff picture, Rabadanov faces 2025 PFL Europe Lightweight Champion Aleksandr Chizov, who finished all three opponents in his European title run and owns 11 stoppages in 13 career wins — no soft landing for a man hunting points.
Keys to Victory
Gadzhi Rabadanov
- Get the fight to the ground through his Dagestani wrestling base and avoid extended standup exchanges where his chin was exposed against Davis.
- Press forward relentlessly in the early rounds to impose physical attrition before Chizov finds his finishing rhythm.
- Stay composed if Chizov lands early strikes and not abandon his wrestling game plan, using superior experience against top competition.
Aleksandr Chizov
- Use his height advantage to fire down the center and disrupt Rabadanov's wrestling setups with sharp straight punches before contact is made.
- Keep the fight moving and avoid clinch exchanges along the cage where Rabadanov's Dagestani grappling transitions into dominant control positions.
- Push the pace in rounds two and three if Rabadanov slows, as he did in the Davis loss, to capitalize on accumulated damage and secure a finish.
Last 5 fights
Gadzhi Rabadanov
Aleksandr Chizov
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AI-generated This analysis was generated with AI and may contain errors.